Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and happens once in a lifetime. As a wedding planner, my job is to help my couples select the best vendors that their budgets will allow. When it comes to wedding day photography, it’s not something that should be skimped on, because at the end of the day, after the food is eaten and the music stops, your wedding photos are all that you have left of your wedding day. The photos should instantly take you back to the mood and feelings that you were experiencing on your wedding day. Choosing the right photographer for your wedding day is a major decision and one that should be made with great consideration.
Image from Kristina & Aaron's Wedding; Courtesy of Matt Yung Photography
When looking for the right photographer, there are some questions that you should ask, which would aide you in making the right choice.
1. Style: What style of photography are you looking for your wedding day to be captured? Are you looking for something more traditional? Photo journalistic? Or, something more bold and edgy? Whatever your preferred style, ensure that the photographer can comfortably shoot within it and capture your wedding day the way as you’d like.
2. Portfolio: Does the photographer have wedding portfolios that you can review? How recent is the work? Can you visualize your wedding photos in this type of album?
Image from Alisha & Ron's Wedding; Courtesy of This Modern Love Photography
Image from Kristina & Aaron's Wedding; Courtesy of Matt Yung Photography
Image from Ashley & Brandon's Wedding; Courtesy of Michael D Images and Social Shots Photography
3. Quantity: How many weddings have he or she done? Photographing weddings require a great attention to detail, logistics, as well as a creative eye. The photographer has to be able to manage the timeline of the day’s events, while being able to capture the necessary shots that are needed to tell the story of your wedding day. Anyone can take a picture. It takes a true creative to take an awesome picture, with the right angles, staging, and background.
4. Social Media: What is their social media presence like? Are the photos more of a personal or professional nature? Are you able to get a sense of the photographer’s style and creativity? It’s ok to see images that showcases one’s personality but you want to make sure that you’re seeing a profile that’s not bombarded with an overwhelming presence of selfies, food, or other images that distract from wedding photography.
Image from Candice & Alvin's Wedding; Courtesy of Taun Henderson Photography
Image from Derrick & Joel's Wedding; Courtesy of Knight Weddings
Image from Ashley & Brandon's Wedding; Courtesy of Michael D Images and Social Shots Photography
5. Creativity: What distinguishes this photographer’s work from another’s? Are their photos more creative? Do they have varying angles and lighting? Have they captured the tiniest of details? Consider the wedding that you’re planning, down to the smallest detail. Will this photographer be able to capture the image you see in your head? Will this photographer be able to capture the unexpected images?
6. Turnaround: What’s the turnaround time in which you will receive your pictures after the wedding? The average turnaround time is 6-8 weeks. Depending on the season and busyness of the photographer, this time can be lessened or extended. You want to be sure you know ahead of time so that you can plan accordingly. If you want to use images in your thank you cards, see if you’re able to get a few sneak peek images that you can choose from.
Image from Ashley & Brandon's Wedding; Courtesy of Michael D Images and Social Shots Photography
Image from Derrick & Joel's Wedding; Courtesy of Knight Weddings
Image from Candice & Alvin's Wedding; Courtesy of Taun Henderson Photography
7. Editing: Will the photographer be editing the images in-house or be sending them out to be edited? If they’re being sent out, will that effect the turnaround time?
8. Images: How will you be receiving your images? Via an online gallery, USB drive, or DVD? Will the images be high or low resolution? If you’re planning on printing any images or creating your own wedding album, you’ll want to have high resolution images so that you can print in many sizes without worry of pixelated images. If you’re posting online or to any social media sites, you’ll want to have high resolution images that are web ready. They’re larger files but small enough for easy loading onto website and social platforms.
Image from Ashley & Brandon's Wedding; Courtesy of Michael D Images and Social Shots Photography
Image from Trudy & Conrad's Wedding; Courtesy of Neville Simpson Photography
Image from Leslie & Jamaal's Wedding; Courtesy of Michelle Davina Photography
These are just some basic professional questions that you can use to get you started on the right path to choosing the right photographer for your wedding day. You also want to make sure the photographer is someone that gels well with your personality and that you can easily get along with. After all, you’ll be spending a great deal of time with this person and sharing some intimate moments, especially during your engagement session, possible boudoir or bridal session, and on the wedding day itself. When you hire someone that’s personable and professional, it makes for a much better working relationship. Happy planning!